Note: New blue packaging, not old brown packaging. While the twelve year old is a relatively non-descript malt, older Glenfiddich bottlings are now gaining high praise including one award as the world's best single malt Scotch whisky. However, as a representation of the house style, the 18 year old pretty much nails it. Always a centre-piece of the portfolio, the company has further emphasised its place by redesigning the packaging to give it a more superior look than its 12- and 15-year-old stablemates. The Glenfiddich distillery lies on the river whose name it bears. 'Fiddich' refers to the fact that the river runs through a valley inhabited by deers – hence the company's logo which features a stag. A proportion of the whisky in this version of Glenfiddich is supposedly even older than the label suggests. Tasting note: Deep gold colour. Moderate aromas include honey, clove and vanilla laced malt. On the palate, dried apricots and spice are augmented by soft peat, adding depth to the toasty malt. Plush mouth feel. Clean, dried fruit and spice finish. Rich and round, in the mainstream of Sherry influenced malts. 40% Alc./Vol.

This Limeburners is matured in second fill bourbon barrels and finished in very old, small sherry cask. Exhibiting spice and fruit aromas when neat, a splash of water unleashes malted barley, aromas of sherry and vanilla with hints of honey, raisins and buttery caramel. 43% Alc./Vol.

The Glen Moray 18 year old is a beautiful addition to the Glen Moray Heritage range. Only the very finest American oak barrels have been selected to emphasise the incredibly smooth character and taste of Glen Moray 18 year Single Malt. An intense whisky with a perfect structure, the soft flavours of sweet vanilla balanced with oak from the casks.

The wandering storm bird. Said to be the souls of lost sailors, these roaming aeronauts glide endlessly over the vast and sometimes inhospitable Southern Ocean. Seen as an omen of both good luck and bad, these occasional visitors to our shores perfectly embody grace endurance and fragility.

Tasting note: [20ml sample] Deep polished copper colour. Aromatically, a curious mix of roasted nuts, aniseed infused honey, ginger biscuit and a pantry full of sweet spices, in particular, vanilla, clove and cinnamon. Soft entry builds into a beautifully harmonised, light to middle-weight whisky offering delicate mince fruit pie flavours and gentle heat. Subtle vanilla and manuka honey aftertaste...Good wine vs whisky balance. More interesting with every sip. 40% Alc./Vol.

"I have tasted some superb Penderyn Celts over the years. But this one is in a Welsh league of its own." - Jim Murray This gently smokey Penderyn is finished in ex-peated quarter casks. Jim Murray clearly adores these expressions.

"What is Welsh for Wow!?" - Jim Murray 'Myth' is the second whisky in Penderyn's 'Dragon' range of 41% ABV expressions, along with Celt and Legend. This departs from the distillery's commonly found style of ex-Madeira wine cask-finishing, preferencing ex-bourbon and ex red wine casks. There are less pedestrian flavours of melon and green apple suggested through the vanilla and biscuit-like malt and while it is arguably the fruitier of the three in the collection, it remains a subtle, low-key whisky experience with little to no burn, leaving the impression of a well-made low ABV blend. Non chill filtered.

The Singleton Of Glen Ord Special Release 2022 The Enchantress of the Ruby Solstice 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 54.2% ABV, The Highlands This stellar 2022 Special Release from Singleton shows just how special whisky can be when double matured in the finest wine-seasoned casks. The result is mesmerising malt, in which beguiling, subtle wine-fruit notes entwine seductively with the layered, smooth, and rich distillery character.

NOSE: Spiced oak, warming vanilla and freshly shelled nuts. PALATE: Summer berries and cream. A splash of water brings out warm biscuits, oak spice and candied orange. FINISH: Rich spiciness, sultanas, citrus zest and brown sugar.

An unusual age statement is inspired by Alfred Barnard's visit to the distillery in 1887 which became part of his book, “The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom”. According to Diageo Director of Whisky Outreach, Dr. Nick Morgan, “At the end of the tour, he was given a taste of the whisky…he tasted an eight-year-old Lagavulin, which, of course, remember at the time was actually quite old…whiskies were considered to be venerable once they got around six years old in the 19th Century,” Morgan said in an interview with www.whiskycast.com. “He declared that whisky to be exceptionally fine, so our mission with this bottling was to find an exceptionally fine eight-year-old liquid which we thought Barnard would quite like if he were to be back here tasting it today.” Tasting note: Very pale straw gold showing considerable legs. Powerful and complex aromas include cocoa, sea spray, white pepper, dilute Elastoplast and lanolin followed by hints of citrus zest. Several minutes air contact accents the latent malt as well as dark chocolate. Concentrated but also surprisingly soft; almost creamy with grassy malt and a juicy vanilla, kelp and peppermint finish that goes long into the aftertaste. A departure from the 16, but terrific young malt. 48% Alc./Vol.